


Welcome to the Resistance

by the_problem_with_stardust



Series: A Sense of Belonging [1]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Eventual Poe Dameron/Finn, Gen, M/M, Rey Needs A Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-28
Updated: 2016-11-28
Packaged: 2018-09-02 18:03:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8677492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_problem_with_stardust/pseuds/the_problem_with_stardust
Summary: Rey steps off of the Millennium Falcon and is engulfed by a sea of unfamiliar faces.





	

 

Rey felt numb. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. Somehow, she had ended up back aboard the Falcon with Chewbacca. They were in the air, leaving Starkiller Base and Kylo Ren far behind. Her new-found Force sensitivity meant that she was hyperaware of the fact that Han was dead and Finn’s tentative grip on life was sliding away.

Frantic shouting from the communications system dragged her awareness back to the cockpit.

“Fall back!”

“Dameron, get your ass out of there before it blows!”

“Poe…”

“This is Black Leader. Blue and Red Squadron, fall back.”

Behind the Falcon, a flash of bright light signaled the destruction of Starkiller. The feeling of thousands more lives snuffed out almost had Rey reeling in her seat. The voices over the coms only intensified.

“Kriff, Dameron, you sonova…”

“Save it for base, Blue Three.”

All of the pilots seemed to breathe out a collective sigh of relief at the presence of their leader.

“Did the Falcon make it out?”

“Solo, do you copy?”

Chewbacca glanced at Rey, then back at the mike.

“This is the Falcon.” Rey took a deep breath. “Solo is dead.”

The one called Black Leader broke the stunned silence. “What about Finn?”

“I don’t know. Ren got to him too. He’s barely hanging on.”

“Kriff…How bad is it?” He sounded concerned.

Rey wasn’t surprised Finn had already managed to make friends in the Resistance. She sighed. “It doesn’t look good.”

A new voice crackled across the coms. “Falcon, this is base. There will be a medical team waiting upon your arrival.”

“Copy that.” Rey answered, just as Black Leader breathed out, “Thank kriff.”

\----

Stepping off the Millennium Falcon into the chaos of the Resistance base was overwhelming. Chewbacca followed close behind, cradling Finn with a gentleness that belied his massive size and menacing growl. The promised medical team rushed forward to help.

Rey paused, feeling a strong pull towards one of the people in the churning crowd. She searched the sea of faces until her eyes landed on a woman a little ways away. On impulse (or maybe it was more of an instinct), Rey wrapped her arms around the woman. She had no idea who she was, but Rey could feel her sadness radiating through the force.

Caught up in a strange feeling of familiarity, Rey barely registered the man pushing through the people around them, following after the medics and Finn. Relieved of his duty, Chewbacca returned and set a paw on the woman’s shoulder. With a jolt, Rey realized this small, unassuming person was General Organa.

 Rey pulled away and was met with a strange expression on the General’s face. Almost like recognition. It was gone instantly, making her wonder if she had imagined it.

The General cleared her throat. “You must be Rey.”

Uncertain of the proper response, Rey lowered her eyes. “I am, General.”

“Please, call me Leia.” Rey blinked a little in surprise. “Finn spoke highly of you.”

At the mention of her friend, Rey was seized with worry. She reached out through the Force until she located him, trying to reassure herself with the knowledge that he was alive.

Once the panic subsided, Rey focused her attention on Leia and Chewbacca. The three of them were a bubble of gloom in the midst of a triumphant atmosphere. “You should join the celebration,” the General was saying, but Rey only had one thought on her mind.

“Where did they take Finn?” Judging by the way Leia looked at her, the question may have come out a tiny bit hysterical.

An unfamiliar voice cut in. “I would be happy to escort you to the med bay.”

Leia nodded to the newcomer. “Thank you, Pava.” She turned with Chewbacca to head back to base. “See you both tomorrow.”

Rey fell into step with a pilot still partway suited up, her orange flight suit bunched around her waist. “My name is Jessika Pava, but my friends call me Jess.”

“I’m Rey.”

Jess snorted. “Believe me, everyone on this base knows who you are by now.”

As if to prove her point, a group of people cheered as they walked by; she shook her head at their antics. “After what happened to the republic, it feels wrong to be celebrating.”

Rey made a noise of agreement.

Together, they entered the med bay. Rey hated it instantly. It smelled too clean. Finn was laying on a bed, hooked up to machines that beeped and whirred, with screens showing readings that meant nothing to her. There was already a man sitting beside him, BB-8 tucked between his feet.

The droid chirped and the man looked up. “Hey Jess. Who’s your friend?”

Jess rolled her eyes, muttering about dumb pretty boys playing dense. “Rey meet Poe Dameron, the best pilot in the resistance.”

“Jess! You can’t just say things like that.” Poe protested and all three laughed, breaking the tension. Rey recognized his voice as Black Leader from the coms. He must have also been the one who followed the medics from the Millennium Falcon.

BB-8 beeped at Jess, who nodded. “We are going to go find some food. Don’t stay here all night.”

Once the sound of the droid’s chatter faded away, Rey looked at the man across from her. “When I met Finn on Jakku he said he was a big deal in the Resistance. He was lying through his teeth, but it seems like people here do care.”

Poe smiled, glancing down at Finn’s sleeping face. “He deserves it. I mean, he singlehandedly rescued me from the First Order.”

“Yeah.” She followed his gaze. “He is the bravest person I’ve ever met. He faced Kylo Ren alone.”

Poe laced his fingers through Finn’s before meeting her eyes. “I hear you are quite the pilot.”

“Actually, I’d never flown before escaping Jakku.” Rey leaned back in her chair, slipping off her shoes.

“You met Han Solo.”

“Yes, him and some Rathtars.”

“No way.” Poe sounded intrigued.

She laughed. “And that was just the beginning.”

\----

Just before dawn, Jess – and a man Rey guessed was Snap based off of Poe’s stories – burst into the room.

Jess sighed, taking in their positions on either side of the bed. “Did you guys seriously talk all night?”

“I was just about to introduce Rey to my T-70.” Poe was grinning in the insane way of the sleep deprived and Rey was right there with him.

Snap shook his head. “You guys are really going to wish you had slept.”

They both sobered quickly at his tone. “Why?” Rey asked, just as Poe said, “What’s wrong?”

“BB-8 and the R2 unit have something.” Jess turned to Rey. “You both need to come.”

\----

A few hours later, Poe clapped her on the shoulder. “This is it, kid.”

Rey gave a reluctant nod, loathe to leave Finn in his fragile state. Seeming to catch on, Poe turned back toward the med bay. “Come on. You can’t leave without saying goodbye to Finn.”

One last time, Rey entered the sterile smelling room. Finn lay quiet, his face tranquil. She stood beside him, trying to memorize his presence. After forgetting one family, she wasn’t going to let this one go. Rey pressed a kiss to his forehead, feeling his life force grow stronger by the moment. He was going to be okay. She turned to leave, wondering how the distance would affect her ability to feel him.

Poe straightened from where he was leaning against the wall outside the med bay. “You ready?”

Rubbing a hand over her tired eyes, Rey shrugged. “Look after him for me.”

“The offer with the T-70 still stands,” Poe pointed out. “You have to come back.”

She grinned, the feeling foreign on her face. “I will hold you to that.”

Out in the airfield, members of the Resistance were loading supplies into the Falcon. Chewbacca stood nearby with General Organa, watching the proceedings with dull interest. The reality of what was happening hit Rey with the strength of a hundred X-wings. She was preparing to fly across the galaxy to find a man she had never met. It was incredible how much her life had changed in such a short amount of time.

“Hey,” Poe’s voice brought her back to the present.

She turned toward him and he pulled her in for a hug. “Take care of yourself. Finn and I will be waiting for you when you come back.” They stood together, Rey soaking in the comforting feeling of his presence, until Chewbacca made an impatient noise.

Poe stepped away. “I’ll see you soon.”

Blinking the sudden wetness out of her eyes, Rey nodded. “Yes. I will see you both soon.” She boarded the Falcon with a wave to the General and Poe, and a newfound determination to find her way back.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I am on [tumblr](https://theproblemwithstardust.tumblr.com)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


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